


Torn Blindfolds, Flocking Snakes

by ranissupercool



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/F, Non-Permanent Character Death, Slow Burn, characters and relationship tags tba as they become relevant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:27:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24116515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ranissupercool/pseuds/ranissupercool
Summary: After a near-death experience involving magic practice and a water tank, Himiko Yumeno is forced to transfer schools to Hope's Peak Public High School. Although she doesn't care that much about the transfer at first, it's not long before she finds out this school seems to be quite the magnet for supernatural occurrences. Not only that, but the students in her class are pretty peculiar too...Surely, this is some kind of secret magic society. And surely, magic is also the reason these two girls are making Himiko question whether or not she's actually as straight as she previously thought. This is shaping up to be an ordeal.
Relationships: Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Yonaga Angie/Yumeno Himiko
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This fic takes place in an AU loosely based off the Kagerou Project/Mekakucity Actors series! It'll be taking a lot from that series, but, again, only loosely. The story, also, will be completely different. Despite the themes present, it shouldn't be too heavy of a fic, and a lot of slice-of-life will be present. Bearing that in mind, please enjoy!

Himiko was in pain for a long time. Although her trust had been harshly betrayed, she couldn’t even find the ability to be mad, too occupied with the burning in her throat, the searing, awful pain in her chest, and the fact that she was completely trapped.

She only went through these feelings for a couple of minutes at first, passing out after, but then she regained consciousness. When she woke, she woke to even worse pain than she’d felt before, too panicked to wonder how she was even still awake and alive at this point. As clear as the tank’s glass was, she couldn’t tell if anyone was around to potentially save her-- not that she could force herself to turn her head and look.

She passed out again. Every time she woke up, the same pain, as if her lungs were exploding and then mending themselves back together only to explode again. Eventually, likely due to the repetition, her senses began to dull.

Although she hadn’t the slight idea how much time had actually passed since she became trapped in her glass hell, and although it felt like it lasted forever, it didn’t quite. Of course, she hardly had the capability to notice when the lid atop the tank was hastily removed or when she was finally pulled out of the water. Remembering it later, she would conclude that she was only vaguely conscious at the time. She was told that it was a miracle she’d survived.

She couldn’t bring herself to speak for the rest of the day, nor the day after. Whenever she tried, she felt as if water was filling her lungs, and she choked on her words before she could say them.

Her next show was cancelled, and her parents got her transferred out of the school before the next semester. Great. Sure, she almost died, and now she choked up whenever she saw more than a bathtub’s worth of water, but a new school was just…

A pain.

Himiko couldn’t say no to her parents, though, so she didn’t bother trying. She’d just let them make all the decisions for her until graduation… or maybe longer. Whatever. They probably knew what they were doing.

She still didn’t leave her house until the end of summer break, when she was forced to face the fact that she had a new school to get used to… which, as far as Himiko was concerned, meant leaving behind old bullies and uncaring teachers for new bullies and uncaring teachers. Regardless, she still allowed her mom to place a lunch box into her hands and her dad to nudge her out the front door without a fight.

It was a pain, but she had no choice. So, she headed off.

One of the changes that her school transfer brought was that, since it was further away than her old school, she now had to take a bus rather than walk like she usually would. While she would normally welcome the opportunity for less physical exertion, she wasn’t exactly one for sitting amongst a crowd of noisy teens, either.

At least the bus stop near Himiko’s house seemed pretty early into the route, and the lack of people gave her a decent choice of where to sit. She picked an empty spot near the back.

And so the teens gradually came pouring in. Himiko would’ve liked to be able to fall asleep so the ride would be quicker, but her nerves prevented her from doing so. Some random girl coming by and sitting right next to her without warning didn’t help. Well, as long as she didn’t try talking to her…

“Hey there!” Ugh. And she was loud, too. “I don’t think I’ve seen you on this bus before.”

“...Nyeh…” Himiko couldn’t help making the slightly exasperated noise, even though most people told her that it made her sound whiny. “‘Cause I haven’t ridden it before…”

“Oh, I see! That’s kind of weird though…”

So she really was insistent on starting a conversation. Oh well, whatever. Himiko turned her head enough to get a look at the other. Definitely taller than Himiko even when sitting, to no one’s surprise. Brown hair… or, no, really dark green. A light green bow in her hair that was trying to be cutesy, and a hairband, and several hair ties…

What was with all the hair accessories? Oh, right, Himiko still needed to respond. “What’s weird?”

“I uh, feel like I’ve seen you before… I might be wrong, though! Haha, I don’t even know where it would’ve been.”

Hmm, the girl also wore the same uniform that Himiko did, albeit with some adjustments. Her midriff was partially showing… Was that even allowed? “Uhhm… I dunno, there’s a few places you could’ve seen me… I’ve done lots of magic shows, so it’d probably have something to do with that.”

“Magic shows? Wait, so you’re, like, a magician?”

And there was this again… It would annoy Himiko, but she’d gotten far too used to people asking that to actually  _ get  _ annoyed at it. “I’m not a magician. I’m a mage. There’s a difference.”

“Oh, really? My bad! Wow, though, that’s so neat! I’ve never been to a magic show before, though, so maybe I  _ am  _ mistaken about having seen you.”

Himiko decided not to mention the water tank incident that made the news only two weeks ago. The girl continued to ask various questions about magic that she didn’t feel like answering until the bus finally arrived at the school and everyone else began filing out of the vehicle.

“Oh! Guess we should get off. You’re getting off here too, right?”

“I  _ am  _ wearing the same uniform as you,” Himiko commented lazily as the two of them both got up, one less energetic than the other.

“Oh, you are! I didn’t even notice! Let’s go, then!”

Himiko simply shrugged and followed the other out. Now, they stood in front of Hope’s Peak Public High School, girls’ branch.

Honestly? It was… smaller than Himiko had expected. Certainly smaller than her previous school. Considering the fancy name, it was somewhat disappointing.

Still, she stepped forward anyways… if only because the girl with her seemed eager to enter but unwilling to leave Himiko behind. Weird…

“Hey, it was fun talking to you,” the weirdo said when they got inside. “Oh, right! It’s a bit foolish of me to forget, but I never introduced myself! My name’s Tenko Chabashira! Can I uh, ask yours…?”

Tenko, huh? Despite her overexuberance otherwise, she almost sounded shy when she actually asked Himiko for her name. “Himiko Yumeno.”

“Himiko! What an adorable name!” It was average, really. “Thank you for chatting with me this morning! It’d be great if we can do that again sometime!”

“Yeah…”

Geez… Tenko seemed nice, but she was way too loud. Even just talking normally with her was attracting stares from others walking through the hall. Himiko didn’t want to get stared at this early into her first day.

“Great! Anyways, I’m going to head to class, so I’ll see you around!”

“Mhm…” Himiko gave a lazy little wave as Tenko headed off. Now… time to look for whoever it was she was supposed to talk to before going to class. This whole transfering thing was still a pain…

Move ahead some amount of minutes that Himiko didn’t care to count, barely listening to the information about the school and classes being told to her before she was introduced to the class. Rather, she was forced to introduce herself. It was about as awkward as she expected.

Tenko was apparently in the same class as her. Himiko was seated on the other side of the room, though, so she probably wouldn’t be bothered too much. Her assigned seating was actually pretty lucky, being in the back corner of the classroom.

Despite her nerves, she fell asleep around the time that the second period rolled around. Yeah, definitely a lucky seating position, given that it made her much less likely to be caught napping or otherwise spacing out.

All in all, classes went surprisingly normally. One scolding from a teacher for falling asleep, a severe lack of any notes being taken because Himiko didn’t feel like it… Surely she could be excused due to recent trauma, right?

Lunch, however, wasn’t as normal as it could have been. For one, she was actually approached during it, causing her to instinctively hold her lunch box close to her chest. She felt like eating today, so she didn’t really want to lose it…

Oh, wait, just Tenko. She still kept her guard up.

“Hehe, hey; didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Man, I didn’t realize you were a new student here! That’s so cool!” Himiko had the feeling she was about to get dragged somewhere. “Hey, do you wanna have lunch with me and some friends? You don’t have to if you’d rather eat alone or something, but--”

Himiko shrugged. She wasn’t sure how to feel about Tenko quite yet, knowing she’d never be able to keep up with this level of energy, but at least Tenko wasn’t mean to her, so far. She could appreciate that. “Sure.”

“Yay! We’re eating in the classroom today, so c’mon! Over here.” Today? What, did they change it up often? That sounded bothersome. Well, whatever; Himiko let herself be dragged to the other side of the room, where a few desks were pushed against each other as a sort of table.

Other people were already there, which was expected but made Himiko feel nervous. She wasn’t all that good in social situations, so she quietly sat down in the chair that Tenko pulled over for her. 

“Oh, hi! Your name was Himiko, right?” Well, of course she’d be spoken to immediately. She was a new face. Himiko nodded. “It’s nice to meet you! My name’s Kaede.”

Before Himiko could give a response, another voice cut into the conversation. “Tenko, you said this chick was cute. She’s like, average at best. And that’s a fuckin’ stretch, IMO.”

“Miu, that’s so rude!” Kaede scolded the other girl, frowning, but only got an eye roll in return. “Sorry about her, Himiko; she’s always like that. She doesn’t mean it, though--”

“Hey, if I want people to know what I do or don’t mean, I’ll tell ‘em myself, Kaediot!”

This group… was already more lively than Himiko cared for. And that wasn’t even all of them. There was Tenko, then the nice blonde, who was Kaede… then the not-so-nice blonde, Miu. It’d be a miracle if she even remembered those three names. Aside from that, there was a more quiet-seeming lady with pale green hair… she didn’t look like a teen at all. And then--

“Nyeh!?” When she turned her head to the side, she saw a girl whose face was very, very close to her own face. Naturally, she flinched.

“Nyahaha~ That was a funny little noise.”

“Angie, hey! Geez, don’t scare her like that,” Tenko huffed, giving this ‘Angie’ a reprimanding look from her seat on Himiko’s other side.

These guys were… weird.

After some scolding, a couple of rude comments, and some more scolding, Himiko finally got a proper introduction from everyone. The group consisted of five people, not counting Himiko herself, their names being Tenko, Kaede, Miu, Kirumi, and Angie. They all seemed to be very weird people, but there was something that Himiko couldn’t just  _ not  _ ask about.

“So, Angie… That outfit…” A long yellow coat, a very short skirt… 

...And a white bikini swimsuit… This  _ was  _ a school, right?

“Mm? What about it?” Angie tilted her head, smiling cutely at Himiko. Or, well, Himiko thought it was a cute smile.

“Is that allowed?”

“Teeeechnically, no…” Tenko said, “But since there’s only girls in this school, showing some skin is okay! Even still, I do think a bikini as casual wear is a bit…”

“Distracting?” Kaede giggled at the flustered expression that put on Tenko. “Ah, but yeah, the uniforms are optional here. There is a dress code, but most of the staff is pretty lax about it…”

That explained some things.

“Do you think it’s strange? But I don’t wear a bikini every day. Only when it’s hot out!” Angie proclaimed, not seeming to see exactly why it was odd.

“Outside, maybe, but the classrooms are air conditioned…” A hint of a grimace showed in Tenko’s expression, and it could be heard in her tone as well.

Honestly, Himiko was over it. She tuned out the rest of the conversation, and it wasn’t long before lunch ended. She only then realized that she never started eating. Darn.

Tenko said that she could have lunch with the group whenever she wanted, though. Was Himiko actually making friends…?

The rest of the school day passed and ended without anything spectacular or crazy happening, but she was still tired at the end of it nonetheless. She was thinking of staying for a while and checking out the school after classes, maybe see what the clubs were like, but…

...Yeah, that wasn’t happening. It seemed like Tenko wasn’t in any clubs either, since she accompanied Himiko to the bus, but she asked anyways.

“Ah, I was going to join a club, but then I had a way better idea! I wanted to form my own Neo-Aikido club! ...But nobody else was interested, so my application wasn’t accepted.”

Without Himiko even asking her to, Tenko spent the rest of the ride explaining Neo-Aikido, a martial art that she was apparently a co-creator of. Well, even if Himiko wasn’t that interested, it was nice that she didn’t have to contribute all that much, since Tenko seemed happy talking without any extra input.

Himiko did decline Tenko’s offer to train her, though. That sounded like way too much work.

Soon, Himiko was stepping out of the bus, being the only one to get off at that stop. The first day attending her new school… She supposed it went better than expected. Now to just walk a couple of streets over and and she could finally go back to lazing about in her room.

Then she got hit by a truck.


	2. Chapter 2

_“Oh god, oh god, th-this is bad; this is so bad… C-Can you hear me? ...C-Crap, what do I do…?”_

_…_

_“...Wait, huh? That’s strange…”_

Himiko woke up with a throbbing headache. When she sat up, confused, the ache worsened, complemented by a dash of wooziness. She cringed at that, but more importantly--

Why was she on the sidewalk…? Did something happen? She reached for her bag to make sure she didn’t get mugged, but this caused her to take notice of something much more alarming. Magenta. A sticky magenta liquid that partially coated her hand, stained her clothing, and was all over the sidewalk she sat on, streaking over from a larger splatter on the road.

Himiko almost wanted to throw up. Instead, she slowly brought herself to her feet… and walked home.

Checking her luckily undamaged phone as she arrived in front of her house, she saw a few texts and missed calls from her mother. Obviously, there was no way she could let her parents see her like this, so she went around to the back of the house and climbed into her room through the unlocked window.

While her bedroom was on the second floor, climbing was one thing she could do even with a stumble or two from dizziness. She’d snuck in like this many times in the past for various reasons, so she’d gotten used to it.

She fell pretty ungracefully into the room, but her headache was already starting to lessen, so she managed to get herself back onto her feet and sneak to the bathroom to check out the damage.

Looking at herself in the mirror, her hair was a sticky mess, covered in semi-dried blood. Her clothes weren’t much better. Geez, and she’d only just gotten this uniform, too…

Himiko let out a shaky sigh, wondering how the heck she even managed to lose this much blood, and sifted through her hair in search of the wound.

She searched… and searched. This lasted for about five minutes, and she found nothing.

Okay… maybe it would be easier if she took a shower. So she did that, and then she checked again.

Still nothing. Where did all of the blood come from?

Maybe… Just maybe, she’d unlocked some hidden healing magic within her that she was only able to use in dire situations? The possibility was exciting, but there wasn’t really a way to confirm anything…

Still pretty dizzy and not at all having the energy to think harder about it or talk to her parents, she decided she would worry about it later. So, she went to her room, flopped onto her bed, and passed out whilst still only clad in just a towel.

The next morning was pretty normal, although she woke up late and got a scolding for not letting her parents know where she was the day before. She wasn’t sure how to explain getting knocked out and having a head injury that magically disappeared, so she didn’t bother and simply got ready for school, leaving her house as normal.

On her way to the bus stop, she noted that the blood was all still there. Yeah, that was no dream or figment of her weird imagination…

After looking both left and right, she crossed the street.

Tenko sat next to her on the bus again, immediately launching into a conversation about her morning. Himiko tiredly stated that she woke up late and barely even made it to the bus.

“Oh! Is that why you look like you’re trying to fall asleep even though I’m talking to you? Well, go ahead! If you need a little extra rest, I can always wake you up when we get to school! It’s important for girls to--”

She was already asleep by this point, so she didn’t hear any more of Tenko’s rambling.

Later, during the lunch period, both Tenko and Angie offered her some of their food, despite her having brought her own lunch… and actually remembering to eat it today. She still accepted, since she hadn’t had the chance to eat breakfast… or dinner, the day prior. Or lunch.

“Atua simply noticed that Himiko could use the extra sustenance more than Angie, that’s all.”

“And I heard your stomach growling a bunch while you were napping on the bus!” Tenko exclaimed as if the observation was something to be particularly proud of. Well, Himiko guessed it was helpful, but…

“Nyeh…? Uhm… Who’s Atua?”

“Oh, you fucking loli slut, don’t get her started--”

“Miu!”

Angie ignored Miu’s vulgarity and instead grasped one of Himiko’s hands in both of her own, her grin one of excitement. “Atua is Atua, of course! He is the gentle and kind god watching over us all.”

Himiko slowly blinked. Oh. It was a religion thing… “So Atua… told you I was hungry?”

“H-Hey Angie, let’s try not to get too carried away here…” Tenko asked, glancing between Angie and Himiko in a nervous manner.

“Oh, Tenko worries too much~ Do not worry; Atua senses something special in Himiko. Perhaps she’s been chosen!” 

Angie was all smiles, but for some reason, that just seemed to distress Tenko more. Kaede generally seemed the one to pacify her friends when needed, but it looked like she was occupied with making sure Miu didn’t curse Angie out. Kirumi was quiet, either not caring or just content to observe how things played out.

“Hmhm~ Anyways, yep, Atua did indeed tell Angie that. He tells Angie lots of things, ya know? As His oracle, Atua tells me lots of fun stuff and I carry out His will! Nyahaha!”

How… odd. Himiko sipped at her juice box, unsure as to what she should say in response to something like that. “Huh.”

Angie gave her hand a small squeeze, making direct eye contact with Himiko. While normally, Himiko was uncomfortable looking people in the eye unless she was performing, something drew her in, and she didn’t look away. What that something was, she had no idea.

...Angie’s eyes were a really pretty shade of blue. They reminded her of the ocean, which was odd because Himiko didn’t like the ocean, but she liked looking into Angie’s eyes. Weird.

Then, Angie let go and turned back to the table. “Well, well, Himiko should eat up! You don’t want to get distracted and forget to eat what’s right in front of you again, yes?”

“Oh… Yeah.”

“But… ah, will you meet me after class? In the art room?”

“Angie, that’s--” Tenko started, but she abruptly stopped when Angie shot her a look. Himiko heard Kaede sigh. What did they think Angie was going to do to her?

...What exactly _was_ Angie going to do?

“Nyeh… Kind of sounds like a pain, but I guess I can…” Well, Angie was friends with Tenko and Kaede, so Himiko figured she wouldn’t do anything bad. Maybe try to convert her, at the worst.

“Wonderful! Atua is looking forward to it~”

Couldn’t she just say _she_ was looking forward to it…? Whatever. Himiko ate her food.

Tenko was oddly quiet for the rest of lunch, but by the time classes started, she was quickly back to her usual self. Was she worried or something?

Classes passed by normally. Himiko barely paid attention even though she was awake the whole time, and she didn’t really know what the assigned homework for the day was about. She should probably still try to do it anyways…

Pushing that thought aside for the time being, class was over, so Himiko got up. Angie had already skipped out of the room, so it looked like she would have to find her own way… unless…

Ah. Tenko was gone too.

Himiko frowned. What a pain.

“Excuse me.” A voice close to her side spoke suddenly, startling her. Despite her increased heart rate indicating her surprise, Himiko didn’t have the energy to jump or yelp in a surprised way, so she just looked up to see Kirumi by her desk.

“Nyeh?”

“Do you need help finding the art room? I figured it would be good to ask, since you’re quite new.” Huh. How considerate. From what little Himiko knew about Kirumi, she did seem to like doing things for people. She had to wonder why; it sounded like such a hassle.

Not that she was about to complain, of course. “...Yeah. I don’t know where it is.”

“Then please follow me.”

Grabbing her bag, Himiko did just that, the two leaving the classroom. Even just after class, the hallways weren’t that lively… This really was a smaller school than Himiko’s old one. Not that that one was even particularly big.

“By the way, I’m sure the others have given you similar sentiments, but if you ever have any questions or need help in getting used to anything at this school, please let me know. I’ll help to the best of my abilities.”

Questions, huh? “Asking for help is a bit of a pain, but… I guess it’s better than trying to figure stuff out myself. If I think of anything, I’ll ask.”

“Not to speak out of line, but you’re not a very motivated person, are you?”

“Not really… Besides, going to school and being around a bunch of people just sucks up all my mana…”

“Mana?”

“Nyeh… It’s nothing. By the way, is Angie in the art club?”

If Kirumi was bothered by Himiko changing the subject, she didn’t show it in the slightest. In fact, she answered as if the flow of conversation was completely natural, “No, she isn't. Our school doesn’t have an art club.”

“Really? Not even an art club? Geez… This school doesn’t have much, does it?”

“It’s a very small school, so there aren’t enough people to keep many clubs running. Each year group currently here only has two classes, and even the class populations are much smaller than an average high school class…”

“Sounds like it’s barely even running. Wouldn’t it be easier if they just went co-ed and combined the girls’ and boys’ branches?”

“I don’t know the finer details, so I couldn’t tell you why they haven’t done that… As far as I’m aware, though, Hope’s Peak _used_ to be a very high-reputation private school.”

“Nyeh… I’ve never heard of anything like that. Wonder how this happened, then.”

Kirumi shook her head. “If I knew, I would tell you… Regardless, we’ve arrived,” she stated, stopping outside a nondescript door with no label anywhere on or near it. Yeah, Himiko wouldn’t have been able to find this room by herself… “Is there anything else you would have of me?”

“I’m good… Thanks.”

“Of course. I’ll be off, then.” Himiko watched as Kirumi left, then looked to the door.

Did she really want to bother with this…? She supposed she was already here, but…

Before she had the chance to decide, the door opened without her even touching it, revealing an upbeat Angie. “Yahoo! Hello, Himiko. Atua sensed your arrival~ Come in, come in!” Effectively making the decision for Himiko, she pulled her into the room and closed the door behind them.

The first thing Himiko noticed upon entering was that the room was very colorful… in a weird way. Random splashes and splatters of color covered the room from the ceiling to the walls-- and even the tables and other things around. Most of it was easily identifiable as paint-- the smell helped Himiko figure that out-- but some of it… she wasn’t sure.

Okay, she just had to ask. “D-Do they not clean this room, like, ever…? How does it even get this messy?”

“Hmm? Ah, that is mostly Atua’s doing. He likes it like this. Also, the janitors always skip this room because of the mess! Nyahah~”

“If it’s your god’s creation, is it okay to still call it a mess? Well, whatever… What’d you wanna meet me here for? You didn’t really explain anything, earlier…”

“Mmm… Atua says I should test you.”

“Test…?”

“Yes, yes! Test to see whether you’re chosen or not! He’s still indecisive. So He wants to test you.”

“Nyeh… I don’t really get it,” Himiko muttered, “but tests are a pain… Do I have to do it?”

“Don’t worry! All Himiko needs to do is sit down and relax.”

She frowned and tilted her head. She could be doing that at home, too… “And…?”

“And I will make a divine work of art! More accurately, Atua will fill me with His holy presence and do it Himself. He doesn’t usually like coming down in front of others, but… Atua thinks that maybe with you, it will be alright.”

...Now she was even more lost. “Uh… Okay… So, Atua has stage fright?”

“Exactly! Of course, he might just get nervous and not come down at all. But that’s what we’re testing! So do get comfortable, Himiko.”

“Well, if all I have to do is sit down… The paint on these chairs is dry, right?” Once she got confirmation that she wasn’t about to stain her skirt yellow and blue, she sat down, watching Angie gather some supplies and turn an easel so that the canvas faced the wall, away from Himiko.

“Let’s see… Oh, I should mention one more thing. There are two things you shouldn’t do while I paint. Do not speak to or touch me unless absolutely necessary, as that will scare Atua. Also, He does not like people seeing his works before they’re completed, so don’t look at it until I show it to you. Understood?”

Geez, just how intense was this going to be…? It was just painting, wasn’t it? Himiko shifted awkwardly in her seat, starting to feel rather nervous. “Um, what if I need to use the bathroom or something?”

“That’s okay~ You needn’t ask permission. Do your business as needed, but do try not to take _too_ long.”

“Nyeh… Okay…”

“Good! Atua will be starting, then~”

And so Angie-- or Atua, or… whoever, did start. It seemed pretty normal at first, so Himiko wasn’t all that sure why it was made such a big deal out of. Although she was doing a concerning number of brush strokes with her eyes closed.

Then Angie started making noises. Like, weird noises. They started as small hums and littles “ah”s and “oh”s, but then they became… longer “ah”s and “oh”s. Almost like she was moaning. She certainly sounded possessed, but Himiko wasn’t sure a god would be her first guess as to what was taking over Angie just then.

After a few minutes of this, Himiko was too embarrassed to watch anymore, so she occupied herself with trying to make out shapes in the liquid splatters everywhere, as if they were clouds. It served somewhat as a distraction. That one was definitely a jellyfish…

It was about a half hour after starting-- Himiko really wished she knew the bus schedule better so she had an idea of when she could be getting home-- when Angie stopped moving, slowly opening her eyes. She tilted her head to the side, perhaps debating something as she stared at the canvas in front of her.

“Mmmmmmm… Atua says this will do. Usually, He likes to take his time on these things, but He doesn’t want you to get too bored, and any more may be a bit too intense for you. How considerate of Him!”

“Nyeh… I still don’t really get the whole point of this… Did I pass the test?” Also, she was admittedly really curious as to what Angie could have possibly painted in the state she was in.

“You’ve done quite well, Himiko! However, there is one last thing I would ask of you.”

Well… It couldn’t get any _more_ weird, could it? “What is it?”

“Atua would like to show you His divine work, so please gaze upon it. Feel free to do so with awe or whatever emotion you think is correct,” Angie said, turning the whole easel to face Himiko with an awkward scrape against the floor. Himiko gazed upon it, and…

She blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, I like uploading chapters 1 and 2 of fics pretty close together. Don't expect such fast consecutive uploads to be a regular thing. 
> 
> By the way, I know this fic doesn't have many readers yet, but if you'd like to see more of a specific character, feel free to comment about it. I plan on having plenty of slice-of-life bits between plot points, so it'd be cool to know what people want to see from that! Just make sure it's a character that's been introduced already-- and no, the boys won't be entirely left out. Just don't expect too much from them, since this heavily focuses on the female cast due to the writer's bias.


	3. Chapter 3

“Nnngh…” Himiko groaned as she regained consciousness, half-opening her eyes, then tightly shutting them again after the bright color splotches of the paint-covered room invaded her vision. The contrast really made such a thing terrible to wake up to…

“Oh, Himiko! You’re awake?” A louder-than-necessary voice as well, and way too close to her ear. Geez… “Himikooo, you cannot pretend to still be sleeping. Atua can see right through you~ Nyahaha~”

She sighed and looked up to see Angie‘s face looking down at her, grinning as usual. Ah, the soft feeling underneath Himiko’s head…

“Angie…? Did you put my head on your lap?”

“Well, Angie certainly couldn’t let you sleep with your head on the floor, could she?“

That was… nice of her. Angie’s legs were a little scrawny-- Himiko’s more so, but still-- but her thighs were still pretty soft. Himiko found herself not minding the idea of staying like this longer.

“Um… Thanks. ‘M having trouble remembering what happened, though… I remember you wanted to show me your painting…?”

“Yep! But you fainted as soon as you looked at it… How disappointing. Himiko may have been chosen, but she’s got a lot of work ahead of her, mhm.”

“I still don’t get what that means…”

“Oh, don’t worry~ All will make itself known in time, dear Himiko. If things are like this, I’m sure Atua wills it for a reason.”

“...Right… You sure have a lot of faith in Atua, huh?”

“Of course! Atua is the one being who I can be certain will never leave my side. Atua is the only certainty in life!”

“Nyeh… I dunno, a lot of people think gods are the least certain things, ‘cause you can’t see or hear them.”

“I have noticed that since coming to Japan,” Angie admitted, brushing her fingers through Himiko’s hair. It was pretty relaxing… “Back on my island, everyone was so faithful, and no one resisted Atua’s will, but here…”

She went silent for some time. Sneaking a glance up towards her, Himiko didn’t think she seemed upset, but… Angie was really hard to read. She wondered if any of Angie’s other friends would be able to tell what she was thinking right now.

“Well, it’s okay~ Angie knows, and Angie won’t lose faith. ‘Cause she hears Atua every day!”

“A-Ah… Well, that’s… good…”

“Oh? Is it?”

Himiko was beginning to get the feeling that not many people tolerated Angie’s apparent obsession with her god. Maybe she was a bit pushy, and she acted pretty weird about it-- almost shady, really… but--

“Well, I mean, yeah. It’s obviously really important to you… and you don’t want to lose that. I’m not religious or anything, but I’ve got stuff like that… Believing in or even just liking something that’s important to you, and other people don’t take it seriously… It really sucks.”

“Hm, I see… Perhaps Himiko does understand Angie a little. Although Angie already knows her faith is a good thing, Atua will be sure to grant you bonus points when you become a follower.”

When and not if, huh… Himiko guessed she could let that slide for the time being. “By the way, Angie…”

“Mm?”

“What time is it?”

“Aah, right… You were out for about an hour? Or, maybe a little longer.“

That was quite a while. Reluctantly, Himiko sat up, letting out a whiny, dramatic groan. Too bad she couldn’t just get Angie to carry her home or something… Angie was just about as small as she was, so she doubted that was an option. “So it’s like… five? Shouldn’t there be a clock in here?”

“There was, but Atua wanted me to take it apart and use the individual parts for decoration.”

...Right. “Well, we should both probably head home anyways… I mean, unless you need to stay for something, but…”

“Nope! I don’t gotta stay at all.” Angie stood up, smiling brightly. Himiko wordlessly stuck out her hand, and Angie giggled and helped her up. “Now, let us be off~”

And off they went, but upon getting to the school entrance, the two of them encountered a familiar face in Tenko, leaning against the wall by the door and doing something or another on her phone.

“Teeenko~” Angie called out to her cheerily, raising a hand up high in an energetic wave. “We’re ready to go hooome!”

Jumping and letting out a surprised “Huh!?”, Tenko nearly dropped her phone, looking around in a panic before spotting Angie and Tenko. She relaxed then, but she still looked a bit shaken. “Oh, you two… Wait, what? You’re coming home today?”

...Coming home? Today?

“Mhm, mhm! Atua says it’s okay, so Angie’ll come with you guys!”

“Huh, well, okay… Ah, right--” Tenko must have sensed Himiko’s confusion, because she then explained, “Himiko, I never mentioned it before, but Angie and I live together… technically.”

“Technically?”

“Yeah, she--”

“Angie was all by herself, so Tenko was kind enough to take her in~” Angie interrupted in a carefree voice. “I’m very grateful to her.”

“R-Right… She’s been spending a lot of time at school after classes though, which is why you haven’t seen her on the bus or anything.”

Huh. Tenko and Angie lived together… Honestly, Himiko wouldn’t have expected that they got along well enough for that to be possible. Compared to the time Tenko and Himiko spent on the bus together, Tenko seemed a bit more on edge when they were around Angie.

“Huh, okay.”

“Yeah! So… Let’s go, I guess?” Tenko said awkwardly. “It’s a few more minutes until the bus gets here.”

“Ehh? Angie doesn’t like the bus, though~”

“A-Angie, c’mon, walking would take forever…”

Himiko quietly followed the two out of the building, rather curiously watching their antics. They did seem a bit more relaxed now than before… Maybe they were just awkward amongst their other peers?

The three ended up waiting for the bus alone, the stop being otherwise deserted. Himiko was perfectly fine with that; after all, it meant the bench was free.

“So uh, how did you two meeting up go?” Tenko asked, sitting next to Himiko. “Angie tested you or something, right? She does that sometimes…”

“I guess it went fine? I think I failed, though...”

“No, no,” Angie interjected, “It wasn’t quite a failure. You got closer to a C grade, according to Atua.”

“Well, a C is totally a passing grade… I guess?” Tenko shrugged. Presumably, she didn’t fully understand Atua’s grading system, either. “Since you two were in there so long, though, I figured you passed out. Angie’s art can get pretty intense… I thought maybe I should wait outside to make sure you got home okay afterwards.”

Ah. That explained that.

“Aww, did you not think I could take care of Himiko myself?”

“W-Well it’s not that! It’s just, y’know… Himiko’s… y’know?”

“Ehh? No, I don’t know! Himiko’s what?” Despite her words, Angie’s tone was still very playful. Himiko was pretty sure she didn’t mean any harm and was just teasing, but Tenko sure seemed flustered. “Himiko, do you know?”

“...Nyeh…”

This was too tiring…

Himiko didn’t contribute much as Angie continued to mess with Tenko, and the bus arrived to take the three of them to their homes not much later.

Of course, her parents scolded her for getting home late without telling them… again.

After that, days started passing by fairly normally, with Himiko lazily going about classes and hanging out with her new, loud friends(plus Kirumi, the one friend who was not loud). Nothing particularly crazy happened for a solid week, and Himiko _fully_ welcomed that. There was just one tiny thing bothering her.

She was starting to think someone was stalking her.

It wasn’t like she’d specifically caught someone doing so, so it was entirely possible that it was just her imagination. Still, she’d kept getting the feeling of being watched, plus occasionally hearing strange noises when she was alone somewhere… 

These occurrences didn’t quite happen at home, nor did she notice anything similar during her classes. Rather, there were three times during the day when she’d feel as if she was being stared at from some kind of distance.

On her way to school, during lunch, and on her way home from school. That would lead her to believe that maybe it was someone from her neighborhood, but she was definitely the only one who got on or off the bus at the stop near her home.

So, really, the idea of someone stalking her based on that information didn’t make any sense. That didn’t stop it from being on her mind for a while, but she _also_ couldn’t be bothered to mention it to anyone.

...At least, until Kirumi of all people brought it up, having asked Himiko to accompany her in leaving the classroom at the start of lunch to buy drinks for the others. Once they arrived at the first floor’s vending machine, she stopped and asked, “Himiko, have you noticed that you’re being followed?”

“...Nyeh?”

“Right now, you’re being followed. It seems like Kaede had her concerns, so I took you out here alone to check, but…”

“Wait, really? How could she… How can _you_ tell?” Even looking around the empty hall herself, Himiko didn’t see where anyone could be hiding.

Kirumi was being oddly quiet now. Himiko’s question wasn’t unreasonable, she thought… She frowned, looking up to try and read the other’s expression.

“...Kirumi, were your eyes always _red_?”

“What?” When Kirumi’s attention turned to Himiko, the color seemed to fade from bright red back to its usual pale green.

Was… Himiko just imagining that? “Uh… Nevermind…”

Kirumi was quiet for a moment more, then placed a gloved hand atop Himiko’s head, over her hat. Ah, headpats... “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. It seems like they’re gone, for now, but you should be careful. There are some less than savory people in this school, even among the students.”

“...That’s kinda cryptic,” Himiko mumbled. “Can you explain a little more than that?”

“That’s… a bit of a difficult request. Himiko, have you noticed anything strange happening since you came to Hope’s Peak?”

“Strange? I guess a lot of stuff, really… I’ve been feeling like I’m being followed for the past week, a painting made me faint, I randomly woke up having bled all over the road--”

Kirumi raised an eyebrow. “While the first two things are indeed strange, I can’t say I’ve heard of that last one before. When was this?”

“Uh… Like a week ago?” Himiko shrugged. “I’m not even completely sure it was my blood, to be honest. But I dunno why else I would’ve been passed out on the ground…”

“And have you told anyone about this?”

“Nn, no.” It hadn’t seemed to have any long-term effects, so she didn’t see a reason to worry anyone by mentioning it. Kirumi certainly seemed interested, though. “Do you know anything about why that would’ve happened?”

“I can’t say for sure. But I would be cautious about who I do tell that to.”

“Why?”

“For one, people might think that you attacked someone, from that description.” Right. That made sense. “Anyways… I’m sure a lot of things don’t make very much sense at the moment. I can assure you, however, that things will start to become less confusing soon enough. Did you want the same drink as usual, today?”

...Angie had said something similar a week ago, hadn’t she? “Nnh… I think I’ll get strawberry milk instead of apple juice…”

As usual, Himiko didn’t press the issue of not enough being explained to her and simply waited while Kirumi retrieved everyone's usual requests from the vending machine. If she was being completely honest, she didn’t care too much to understand all the weird happenings she seemed to be involved with. Rather, not caring was just _easier_.

Mildly concerning, though, was one last thing that Kirumi told her on their way back, before they rejoined the group at the classroom.

“If you start feeling like you’re in danger at any point or if this stalking problem continues, please tell me or one of the others. We’ll ensure you’re unharmed, so you don’t need to let it worry you too much.”

“...Mmkay.”

As a matter of fact, Himiko _wasn’t_ worried. Not until Kirumi _brought it up_.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the day after her ‘stalker’ talk with Kirumi, and Himiko was to find out today was a rather special one. Apparently, there was some sort of mini-event planned for gym class.

From what Tenko had explained to her(with a startling amount of contempt in her voice), every so often, the boys’ and girls’ branches of Hope’s Peak would have activities arranged between two of their classes. Sports, usually.

That was also when Himiko learned that Tenko really,  _ really  _ didn’t like boys. When Himiko asked her why, she responded that it was obviously because all males are degenerates and have no right to breathe the same air as girls. She stated it confidently, as if it were simply a fact that everyone should be aware of.

...Alright, then.

“It seems like the person who raised her told her that a lot when she was growing up,” Kaede told Himiko when Tenko was out of earshot. “Don’t worry; she actually really likes these events because she gets to kick the boys’ butts at sports. In fact, Tenko ends up carrying the rest of the team sometimes, depending on what we’re playing.”

The catch to all of this was that the girls’ class had to walk to the boys’ school a couple blocks down, since the girls’ school didn’t have a sports field. And that was  _ after  _ changing into their gym clothes…

Despite having a whole field over the other school building, the boys’ branch of Hope’s Peak still looked to be just as small and dinky as the girls’. That, at least, was what Himiko thought as they arrived, noting that the other class was already hanging out on the field. The area seemed like it was set up for… baseball?

Without any real prompting, a few of the girls went on ahead, probably to chat with the boys before any games started. Their gym teacher did the same to speak with the one from the other class, leaving the remaining few girls to just… stand around, Himiko guessed.

“Hmph, talking together so casually… They never listen to me about degenerates taking advantage of them! I wonder why?” Tenko seemed rather troubled by the others having civilized interactions with each other. Himiko didn’t really care…

Like she was going out of her way to get acquainted with anyone, anyways.

So, ignoring everyone, she decided to go looking for somewhere to sit. All the physical exertion of walking here really took a toll on her. Of course, on her way over to a conveniently-placed empty bench, she just had to get accosted anyways. Great.

“Oh, hey! Are you a part of girls’ 1-A?”

...Himiko knew she was new, but still… wasn’t that obvious? “Well, I’m here, so… yeah.” 

She didn’t let this dude stop her from going and taking a seat on the bench; only once she’d done that did she even bother to look up at him.

The guy had swoopy white hair, and, uh… didn’t appear to be a human being. At first glance, perhaps he could be mistaken for one, but any further than that revealed the school uniform he wore as some sort of solid metal plating instead. Wearing something like that for sports would be a pretty poor decision for any semi-normal person.

“Really? That’s great! That means both classes have an equal number of students now, so maybe they’ll allow me to play!”

“Are you supposed to be a robot or something?”

The question visibly caught him off-guard, even though Himiko thought it was a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. “W-- Well, yes… Er, I apologize. I forgot that this was rather jarring for the others when they first met me, as well. It doesn’t help that I can’t easily wear a gym uniform like everyone else…” When the only response he got was a tilt of Himiko’s head to indicate her confusion, he cleared his throat and straightened his back.

It would probably have had a cooler effect if the guy wasn’t, like, 5’4” or something. Maybe less.

“My name is K1-B0, but everyone at school calls me Keebo, so you can do that as well. Although I may be a robot, I’m still a regular high school student like yourself, so I would really appreciate it if you would treat me as such!”

“...”

“...”

“...Nyeh…”

“I-- I’m sorry? People don’t usually seem this disappointed so soon after meeting me,” he muttered awkwardly, taken aback. “Is something the matter?”

“Well… I’m a mage…” It was obvious to Himiko, but their themes clashed pretty badly, in her humble opinion. “Mages and robots…? Magic and sci-fi don’t really mesh that well together…”

“Wha-- A mage? Hey, wait, magic and sci-fi can too work! You haven’t watched enough animated media! There are quite a lot of very well-regarded science fantasy stories out there, many considered classics!” Keebo huffed indignantly, crossing his arms. Even if he was a robot, he sure didn’t act very robotic…

“I guess… I dunno though… In those stories, when they go against each other, isn’t science always the evil side…?”

“W-- Well, that’s just discriminatory! I mean, you may be right about stories, but applying  _ that  _ to real life is--”

“Now you stop right there!” ...And there was Tenko’s voice. It had only been a little over a week, but Himiko was starting to get used to her suddenly yelling all the time. It made Keebo jump, though. “Even a robot like you should know not to yell at girls, Keebo!”

“Wh-What do you mean, ‘even a robot’? And besides, I’m only trying to explain-- whoa!” With a very loud thud, Himiko watched Tenko throw Keebo over her shoulder and slam him onto the ground like it was nothing.

Uh, wow.

“That’ll teach you!” Tenko was certainly proud of herself… “Oh, right! Himiko, are you okay? He didn’t say anything mean to you, did he?”

“...No, he didn’t.”

“O-Ow, my back… Y-You’ll both… come to regret your robophobia…”

Keebo didn’t manage to get himself up until someone came to help him, telling them that the game was about to start.

And as it turned out, being a robot did not necessarily make you good at baseball. He was the first up to bat, missing two swings and then managing to make it to first base after the third swing managed to hit. Despite the mediocre performance, he still looked pretty happy with himself.

As usual, Himiko didn’t put much effort in herself, even though Keebo was clearly intending to compete with her. Whenever a ball came anywhere near her, Tenko ran over and dealt with it anyways, so she didn’t really even have to do anything. Hell, Himiko was half-tempted to just sneak off to take a nap somewhere when the teams switched positions. This was… pretty boring.

She had to admit, though, her team was good at it. Despite being scolded when she tried to bring a machine to swing the bat for her, Miu wasn’t bad at batting-- even better at catching. Kaede didn’t seem very physically-oriented at first, but she was good at hitting balls and avoiding people. Kirumi was good at running, and along with another girl whom Himiko couldn’t for the life of her remember the name of, Tenko was just all-around athletic.

...Meanwhile, when Himiko was up to bat, she missed the swing thrice in a row every time. And the bat flew out of her hands more than once.

“Ah, don’t worry, Himiko! I’m sure you’ll hit one eventually! And even if you don’t, we’re winning by a lot of points, so it’s all good!” Tenko sure tried hard to make her feel better about it.

Himiko wasn’t really worried in the first place, though…

Interestingly, Angie did really well, too. She’d complained that she didn’t like sports because they made her sweaty, but she was quite agile. No one seemed to be able to touch her, even when they seemed like they, by all means, should have.

When Tenko left Himiko’s side without explanation, presumably to go compliment Angie’s feat of running all of the bases without the need of a home run, that was when Himiko got up and left.

Not because she wanted to slack off or anything. She just needed to pee. No one stopped her, so she stepped into the school building to search for a bathroom.

“...Oh! Hello there.”

Instead, she found another funny-looking white-haired boy. Except this one didn’t look like a robot, and his hair was a lot messier than Keebo’s. Also, definitely taller. He stood next to a wide window that had a decent view of the sports field outside.

So instead of greeting him back, of course her first question was going to be, “Are you spying on the girls playing sports or something?”

“...Huh? Oh! Gosh, I didn’t realize how creepy this could come off, whoops… No, that’s not what I’m doing at all. Well, I  _ guess  _ it’s spying in the sense that people don’t know I’m doing it.”

“Nyeh…” Himiko was unsure as to whether or not she believed him. She couldn’t think of another, non-weird reason why this guy would be doing what he was doing, but more than that, he just came off as a totally suspicious person. She wasn’t even sure why… He seemed casual enough.

But, casual in the sense that, at any moment, he could be waiting for a bomb to go off or a shooting to happen and still just be sitting there with a smile on his face.

Or maybe Himiko was just making up weird scenarios in her head for no reason. The guy  _ was  _ just another student. “If you’re not here to creep on girls, then why? Baseball’s not that interesting to watch… not enough to ditch class for.”

“It is when the players are interesting people.”

“Interesting… people? Like the robot?”

“...Hm, you’re in the same class as them, and you haven’t noticed? No, Keebo is… special in his own way, but that’s not what I mean.” He beckoned Himiko over to the window. She frowned, but she approached anyways, looking out at the game taking place. The only thing really notable to her was the way that Tenko was looking around in a panic. Probably because Himiko left without saying anything. Whoops.

“I don’t really see it…”

“Just keep watching. You’ll see soon.”

Himiko was conflicted between being skeptical and curious, but she continued to watch, trying to focus more on the players than the game. She did notice a couple of things, although she wasn’t sure if they were exactly what the guy had been referring to.

A boy was throwing the ball at the batter, Miu, seemingly like normal, but the ball always seemed to go in a strange direction compared to the way he threw it. Himiko didn’t know much about physics, but-- uh, did that ball start flying before he even made the throw? She rubbed her eyes with her hands for a moment, unsure if she was seeing things correctly. Three strikes; Miu was out. She said something angrily-- probably cursing the boy out-- before Kaede stepped up to replace her.

Kaede hit the ball on the first try, as she had every time so far that she’d been up to bat.

“What was  _ that _ ?”

“So you noticed. He perfectly hid his throws, but she saw right through him. What could possibly explain these things?”

Like Himiko knew. “Nyeh… Cheating?”

“Some might consider it that… but it doesn’t look like either of them are doing anything that’s against the rules. Even if he’s cheating, how can he hide what he’s doing so well? All we can see him doing is throwing the ball.”

“Uh… nn… I don’t know…” She glanced over to the white-haired boy, and he simply smiled at her without saying anything, as if patiently waiting. So he wanted Himiko to figure it out herself. “Magic… or something?”

“Magic…?” Evidently, that wasn’t the answer he anticipated. He laughed, which was about what Himiko expected, but his words after that were less than so. “I guess it  _ could  _ be called that, couldn’t it? Not bad, Miss…”

“Uh… Himiko…”

“Himiko! I’ll be sure to remember that. You don’t need to remember mine, but it’s only  _ polite  _ to give it in return, so… my name is Nagito Komaeda. It’s quite a pleasure meeting you.”

“Yeah…?” Himiko wasn’t sure if she should say it was a pleasure for herself. So, she didn’t.

“I’m sorry; I don’t mean to take up so much of your time… but keep an eye on your classmates. Even if some may not look like it, they’ve all got some very  _ unique  _ talents, I assure you. Special people like you all… It would be great to see what you could accomplish when you’re together.”

“Like… playing baseball?”

“Hm? ...Hmm… Yeah. It does involve teamwork… so baseball is a good start. You seem pretty disinterested, but you still catch on pretty quickly, don’t you?”

“Do I? I mean… that’s only natural. I’m a quick learner,” Himiko half-lied. Although she said that, it tended only to apply to things she was actually interested in or curious to learn. That didn’t mean she  _ showed  _ that interest very well… but Nagito didn’t need to know about that.

“Hah, that’s great. You may not be entirely aware of it right now, but… I look forward to seeing  _ your  _ magic as well, Himiko.”

He didn’t mean the sort of magic that Himiko normally performed, she was pretty sure… not that she had any of her supplies or magical implements with her right at that moment, anyways. They were difficult to keep on one’s person while wearing only a gym uniform.

“Nyeh… You don’t have to spy on me to see  _ my  _ magic… If we meet again at a time when my mana’s full, maybe I’ll show you some, up close. Anyways, where’s the nearest bathroom?”

“Oh? I might have to take you up on that offer… It’s just down the hall, then to the right. You can’t miss it. As you might expect, there aren’t any girls’ bathrooms, so be careful.”

Himiko muttered a thanks, then stepped past Nagito so that she could finally go and empty her bladder.

Magic, huh…?

She thought about that as she went about doing her business and then lazily rinsing her hands afterwards, luckily not running into anyone in the process. Sure, it would’ve been simple to explain the situation, but it also would’ve been bothersome.

Still, if the others in her class were magic-users and she had no idea… It would explain a lot…

When she passed by the window again, Nagito was gone. She supposed the class period was probably close to over by this point… which meant she’d better hurry back. Opening the door and seeing that her team was on the field, she went to join them before anyone would notice her.

But when she got  _ onto  _ the field, she was almost immediately hit in the face with a baseball.

She needed to pay more attention to her surroundings. Damn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know crap about baseball-- but putting that aside, I'd like to thank those who have commented on this fic so far! I'm not very experienced with writing mysteries and the like, so I'm glad if I can even just make anyone curious about what'll happen next. If anyone has theories or other thoughts they'd like to share, you're free to do so in the comments section or shoot me an ask on my tumblr; my username there is the same as my AO3!


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